


Reasons To Date Our Brother

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [137]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-08 19:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12260889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: William is taking too long to ask Emma out on a second date. His siblings have a strong opinion about his lack of progress and decide to take matters into their own hands.





	Reasons To Date Our Brother

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further. 
> 
> Shannbaskets left me this prompt: "I would love a story where the kids have a meeting and then present to Emma why their big brother would be the best guy for her! The parents and everyone would also listen." This idea wouldn't leave me alone. This is the result.
> 
> This installment is 123/137. The installment list has grown too long for the notes section. You can now find the chronological list for the series, with hyperlinks, at http://archiveofourown.org/works/11051019

 

William ran up the steps with his key to the front door already out. He was late for dinner, and according to the fifteen text messages he’d received from Bobby in the last five minutes, he was ruining the lives of his siblings.

“It’s Will,” Becca announced from the doorway of the kitchen.

William had barely closed the front door behind him before all four of his siblings and Tess were jumping on him in greeting. “Let me get my coat off,” he said, good-naturedly, as Nate and Prue demanded to be picked up.

“You’re late,” Bobby admonished.

“Sorry,” William laughed “but my boss is really tough. What’s so urgent?”

“Mom, Will says you’re too tough,” Becca tattled.

Felicity appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, “He means Curtis, not me.”

“Hey, monkeys,” Tommy said from behind Felicity, “let your brother catch his breath before you tackle him.”

“It’s all right,” William kneeled on the floor, “it’s nice to be wanted.”

Becca looped her arms around William’s neck and climbed onto his back. He lifted a twin in each arm before rising to his feet.

“You were supposed to be here a half hour ago,” Bobby continued his admonishment of his big brother. “Now da says we have to wait until after dinner.”

“Wait for what?” William asked.

“We have no idea,” Oliver answered. “They’re being unusually tight lipped on the subject.”

“Come on, you three. Your brother is not a jungle gym,” Felicity said as she kissed William’s cheek.

Nate launched himself from William’s arms and only Oliver’s lightning fast reflexes prevented Nate from landing face first on the floor. Prue waited patiently for Felicity to take her from William. Becca didn’t show any inclination towards getting down.

“Uh oh,” William reached behind him, “the tickle monster is here.”

Becca shrieked with laughter as William began to tickle her. She released her grip and he slowly lowered her to the floor.

“Hi,” Emma said shyly.

It had been almost two weeks since their first date and spending the night together. He’d been forced to cancel their second date on the account of a bank robbery with a hostage situation. He’d called her on the way to the bank and she’d laughed about the life of dating a superhero. Roy had teased him that the Green Arrow shouldn’t smile so much – it would only encourage the criminals.

The entire family stopped what they were doing to watch the interaction. William could feel the heat rise in his cheeks, “Hi.”

William crossed to where Emma was preparing a salad and kissed her cheek. She rolled her eyes at him as his siblings made sound effects.

“Enough,” Oliver said fighting a grin, “or William and Emma won’t want to come for dinner anymore.”

All four children immediately fell silent.

Tommy looked up from the stove, “That was shockingly effective. I’m going to remember that.”

“All right, let’s go wash our hands,” Felicity shooed the children from the kitchen.

William took the opportunity to greet Tess. The dog was sitting at his feet, patiently waiting her turn to receive his affection. “How’s my best girl?” he asked as he rubbed her belly.

Tommy knocked William with his knee, “Emma can hear you.”

“That’s all right, Tommy. I’ve accepted that Tess is William’s first love,” Emma said with a wry grin.

William retrieved a treat for Tess, who gave him her paw as soon as he showed her the bone. “At least she’s a dog,” he said scratching behind Tess’s ears. “Your heart belongs to my brother.”

One of the many things he loved about Emma, and there were many, was how much she loved Bobby. His little brother acquired his number one fan the day Emma entered his life. Bobby loved Emma too. William teased the pair that they belonged to an exclusive club with a membership of two, the _Green-Smoak Mutual Admiration Society_.

“Your brother is better behaved,” Emma said as she carried the salad to the table.

“Barely,” Tommy and Oliver said together.

“Bobby is smarter,” Emma pointed out.

“Sadly, that is true,” William agreed, stealing a cherry tomato from her salad, “but I can drive and buy alcohol.”

“Lucky for you, or there’d be absolutely nothing to recommend you as a boyfriend.” Emma patted his chest, “You’re cute, so, there’s that.”

“I’ll take it,” William said before kissing her chastely on the lips.

“Ugh, gross,” Bobby lamented.

“Are you calling me gross, Robert John Smoak?” Emma asked sternly.

Bobby shook his head, “No, you’re not gross.”

Emma smiled sweetly at William, “I’m not the gross one.”

William ruffled his brother’s hair, “One day, Bobby, I’m going to remind you of this day and only then will I begin my revenge.”

“Daddy, Will is threatening me,” Bobby complained with an impish smile.

“I didn’t hear anything.” Oliver pointed to the table, “Everybody sit down.”

William and Emma sat between Bobby and Becca. “We’re going to need a bigger table,” William said to his dad as he and Bobby playfully poked each other with their elbows.

Oliver pointed to Tommy, “Talk to him. He’s in charge of furniture.”

“We can move Becca to the other side, if you need more room,” Tommy offered.

“No,” Becca grabbed onto her dining companion, “I want to sit next to Emma.”

“We’re fine,” Emma responded.

“I’ll put the table extension in next time,” Tommy promised as he placed food onto the twins’ plates.

“Da,” Prue pushed the food on her plate with a fork, “I don’t like this.”

“You haven’t even tasted it yet,” Tommy said, cutting her roasted chicken into small pieces.

Prue touched the tines of her empty fork to her tongue. “No, thank you. I don’t like it. I’ll have applesauce.”

Tommy exhaled heavily, “Prudence, eat your dinner.”

“I don’t want to,” Prue folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not hungry.”

“Do you want to show William and Emma their surprise?” Oliver asked firmly.

“Yes,” she answered.

“Then eat your dinner,” Oliver instructed, “Your dad only put a little bit on your plate.”

Prue speared a small piece of chicken and placed it into her mouth. Her nose wrinkled with displeasure as she chewed.

William loved his siblings, but there were times when they reminded him of the importance of birth control. He was amazed by the level of patience his parents showed. His siblings enjoyed testing their limits in their own unique ways.

Once everyone had been served and begun to eat, Oliver asked his nightly question, “What was the best part of everyone’s day? Who wants to start?”

Emma raised her hand, “I’ll go first.” She waited until everyone was looking at her before saying, “I received the grant for my project. My graduate research is funded for the next two years.”

“That’s fantastic,” William playfully punched Emma’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He was proud of her. She’d worked hard on her proposal and application. He wasn’t surprised she’d received the grant. Emma was passionate about her research and she threw herself into everything she did.

“There’s a lot of pressure for the best part of your day question. I needed to have something good,” Emma told him.

“Well, that definitely qualified.” Oliver smiled and held up his water glass, “Congratulations. We’re all very proud of you.”

“Emma’s gonna win a Nobel Prize,” Bobby said around a mouthful of food.

“Bobby, mouth closed, please,” Felicity chided her eldest.

“I think it’s way too early to give me a Nobel Prize,” Emma leaned over William and squeezed Bobby’s hand, “but thank you.”

Bobby smiled, “You’ll get one. I know it.”

“All right, Nobel Prize committee, what was the best part of your day?” Oliver asked.

Bobby gave himself a drumroll against the table with his fingers, “Mr. Lebeck gave me a new piece of music to practice. He said my technique is much improved.”

“I guess I should get to work sound proofing your music room in the basement,” Tommy winked at Bobby.

Bobby nodded solemnly, a small smile turning up his lips, “You might need earplugs until then.”

“How about you sweet pea?” Oliver asked Becca.

Becca sat up taller in her chair, “Mommy said I can sleep at Grandma’s this weekend.”

“I’m sure that will be fun.” Oliver looked at his wife, “Any reason we’re not sending all the kids to your mom?”

“I do love the way you think, but I promised Becca she could go by herself,” Felicity answered.

“You’re supposed to be a genius,” Oliver shook his head with mild disappointment. “You’re up, William.”

“The best part of my day was coming here and seeing all of you,” William answered. It might be an overly sentimental declaration, but he meant it. He loved spending time with his family doing ordinary things like eating dinner together and telling each other about their days. His childhood, with his mom and dad, was as close to idyllic as a childhood could get. The only thing he ever wished for, but didn’t get until he was fifteen, was a large, noisy family to be a part of.

Nate put down his fork, “You can’t say that.”

“Why not?” William asked his brother.

Nate’s large blue eyes blinked rapidly behind his lenses, “Because that’s what daddy always says.”

“But it’s the truth,” William explained.

Nate shook his head, “But daddy says that.”

“Buddy,” Oliver tapped his son’s hand, “it’s okay. William and I can share.”

Nate narrowed his eyes and then said, “Okay.”

“How about you, hon?” Oliver asked his wife with a wink.

Felicity turned bright red and Tommy started to choke on a sip of water.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked a wheezing Tommy.

Tommy nodded as he continued to cough into his napkin.

William could feel his own ears burning. He had no doubt what was getting that reaction from his step-parents. Thinking about his parents’ sex lives was something he actively avoided. He knew they had sex but that was as much as he wanted to acknowledge it. The deep affection and attraction his dad had for his spouses and they had for him and each other, after so many years together, would be inspirational, if they weren’t his parents.

He shot a look at Emma who was intently studying her plate, but her own cheeks had gone pink. He wondered if she was thinking about the night they’d spent together. Her hand was on her lap and he took hold of it. Emma glanced at him and he winked. She rolled her eyes, but still smiled.

“Mommy and da are being silly,” Prue announced.

“They are,” Oliver agreed. “Do you want to go next?”

Prue shook her head.

“You’re up,” Oliver pointed to Nate.

Nate pushed food around his plate and shrugged.

“Come on, something good had to happen today,” Oliver prompted.

Tommy shot a look across the table to his husband. His dad’s attention never wavered from Nate, but he nodded his head slightly, acknowledging Tommy’s silent message. It never failed to amaze William how much Oliver, Tommy and Felicity could communicate with each other with a single look or a touch.

“Well, the day’s not over yet. What can we do to give you a best part of your day?” Oliver asked.

Nate’s eyes lit up and he shifted back and forth on his chair, “Can I pick two stories tonight?”

“I think we can do that,” Oliver answered. “How about you, snuggle bug?”

Prue looked at Nate and then at Tommy.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, you can tell your daddy,” Tommy encouraged.

“We did drawings at school today,” Prue said softly.

“That’s great,” Oliver enthused. He looked over at the fridge that was covered with drawings and report cards. “Your dad didn’t have time to hang it up yet?”

“I can show you, but I don’t want da to hang it up,” Prue said. She wriggled out of her booster chair and ran from the room.

When she returned to the table she handed Oliver a piece of paper.

Oliver looked at the drawing and then glanced at Nate who was mashing food on his plate. “Prudence Harper Merlyn Queen Smoak,” he read. “That’s quite a mouthful.”

“I’m surprised there was room on the page,” Felicity teased.

“I wanted to practice my letters. I spelled all of them right,” Prue said proudly.

“You did,” Oliver agreed. “Your drawing is very nice too.”

“It’s a bunny,” she said.

“I can see that. We’ll hang it up, after you eat your dinner,” Oliver said pointing to her chair.

“Your name is Prudence Harper Smoak,” Nate told his twin.

Prue smiled hesitantly, “I wanted to practice the letters in our dads names.” She reached out and touched her twin’s hand, “Show daddy your drawing. It’s good.”

“It’s not,” Nate mumbled. “I ruined it.”

“I’m sure it’s good,” Oliver said. “All your drawings are good.”

Nate looked up, his eyes wet, “I spelled my name wrong.”

“We can practice together before bed,” Oliver said.

“Do I still get two stories?” Nate asked.

Oliver laughed, “Yes, we can practice your name and still read two stories.”

“Okay,” Nate happily agreed.

 

Once dinner was over, the children summoned the adults into the living room. A picture of William was projected onto the monitor over the fireplace.

“What’s going on?” Whatever his siblings were up to, it was about him. William wasn’t sure if he should be nervous.

“It’s a surprise,” Becca gushed. She steered him to the sofa and made him sit next to Emma.

The children lined up in front of the fireplace. Bobby stood in the middle, holding a tablet. After the adults were seated, the living room lights were dimmed and words appeared over Williams face. Bobby read aloud, “Reasons why Emma should date Will.”

“Oh boy,” Felicity said nervously under her breath.

“Monkeys,” Tommy said anxiously, “maybe this isn’t the best idea. If William and Emma want to date, that’s up to them.”

“It’s okay,” Emma said with a big smile. “We haven’t had our second date yet. I might need further convincing.”

“I’m not worried,” William winked at Bobby, “they love me.”

A new picture appeared on the screen. In it, Nate stood next to William in the pantry, reaching for a bag of goldfish in his brother’s hand.

Becca nudged Nate. He looked at the picture and then at Emma, “Will’s tall. He reaches the good snacks da hides.”

A picture of Prue seated on William’s shoulders appeared next. They were pointing at a giraffe eating a leaf.

Prue clasped her hands to her chest, “He likes the zoo.”

The next photo was of William holding Becca straight over his head. She was wearing a small cape and had her arms and legs out straight like she was flying.

“He’s strong and not afraid of anything,” Becca praised.

An image of William, dressed in his cap and gown, standing next to a proud looking Oliver, appeared next.

Bobby cleared his throat, “He’s just like daddy, only smarter.”

“Hey,” Oliver protested.

“Da says it,” Bobby pointed to Tommy.

“His life choice at this age, far smarter than yours,” Tommy defended himself.

Felicity snickered, but covered her mouth when Oliver sent her a look.

Two pictures appeared side by side. This time Oliver and William were both twenty-one. “He has good hair,” Becca said.

Before Oliver could protest, Bobby added, “Da says so – all the time.”

Tommy doubled over at Oliver’s look.

“You had nothing to do with this?” Oliver asked with disbelief.

“I swear,” Tommy gasped, “I didn’t know they were doing this, but I stand by my earlier comment. His life choices, far smarter than yours.”

A picture of William laughing appeared next.

“He’s funny,” Becca said. She whispered in Prue’s ear.

“He smells good,” Prue added.

“Who says?” William asked his little sister when Emma covered her face.

“Emma,” Prue answered. “She says you smell like the forest.”

Felicity buried her head against Oliver’s chest and began to laugh.

The image on the screen changed again to reveal William making pancakes under Bobby and Becca’s supervision.

“He can cook,” Bobby said with pride.

“He makes good pancakes and spaghetti,” Becca praised.

“Daddy’s are better,” Prue told Emma.

“Finally,” Oliver said. “Thank you, snuggle bug.”

“You’re welcome,” Prue grinned.

William laughed at the next picture. In it, he was holding Tess in his arms, kissing the top of her head.

William looked down at Tess who had managed to work her way onto his lap during his sibling’s presentation. She looked up at him and licked his face.

“He likes dogs – a lot,” Nate grinned.

A picture of William and Emma being tackled by all four Smoak children as they played in the park appeared.

“If you date our brother, you’ll be our sister,” Bobby said with a hopeful smile.

The screen went black.

“Wow guys, thank you. This was very nice of you,” Emma said. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“Are you going to go out with William again?” Becca asked.

“He hasn’t asked me,” Emma said, looking at William.

“You could ask him,” Becca countered.

“Rebecca,” Felicity admonished.

“Well, she can ask him,” Becca insisted.

Emma raised an eyebrow in challenge, “What do you say? Do you want to go on a second date?”

“Yes,” William answered without hesitation.

“Tell her when,” Bobby told him.

“Robert, I think that’s enough help,” Felicity said.

“She’s free on Saturday,” Bobby informed his brother. “She said so when she was helping me with my homework.”

“Would you like to go out to dinner with me on Saturday?” William asked.

“Yes,” Emma answered. “I’d like that very much.”

“Well, I’m glad that’s settled. The two of you are exhausting and I waited for Ollie for fourteen years,” Tommy said rising to his feet. “Bath time.”

“Say goodnight to William and Emma,” Oliver instructed.

 William and Emma received kisses and hugs from the children before they were ushered upstairs by their parents.

“I’m not sure if I should apologize,” William admitted once they were alone. “Those were some ruthless strongarm tactics.”

Emma shook her head, “You better not apologize. They love you.”

He laughed, “I think they love you more. They weren’t trying hard to convince me that you are girlfriend material.”

“That’s because I’m practically perfect in every way,” Emma grinned.

William slowly snaked an arm around Emma’s waist and pulled her close, “You are, are you?”

Emma tilted her head back, looped her arms behind his neck, and smiled up at him. Her eyes shone with amusement, “It’s been five years. You should know this about me by now.”

“I should,” he agreed. “At least I smell like a forest.”

Emma covered her face, “I’m never going to live that down.”

“Never.” William nuzzled her nose, “May I kiss you before our second date?”

“I’m going to insist on it,” she said, rising on her toes.

Emma closed the distance between them and William kissed her gently. Her lips parted and he deepened their kiss. Being with Emma had exceeded his imagination. It was as if his life went from black and white to color. They might not have gone out on a second date yet, but she was already his best friend. William was certain that she was the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with.

William caressed her cheek, “Emma Green, I believe I want all your days, not just your Saturdays, for as long as you’ll give them to me.”

Emma’s eyes went wide. She ran her thumb over his bottom lip and smiled, “They’re all yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> I've been catching up on editing my drafts. I may have something for you on Saturday.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


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